Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark expressed his gratitude to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his efforts in constructing churches in new cities. On Thursday 22/8/2024, Pope Tawadros II inaugurated the Church of the Virgin Mary and Saint Archdeacon Habib Girgis in the Al-Majd neighborhood of New Obour City. The inauguration coincided with the feast of the Virgin Mary. Pope Tawadros II noted that when President Sisi inaugurated New Obour City in 2018, he ordered the construction of a church. The construction began in July 2021 following the completion of procedural requirements and the issuance of the final license. In 2017, the committee responsible for churches legalization was formed, under prime minister and six other ministers, along with representatives from churches and bodies concerned. The Cabinet's decision to legalize the status of churches comes according to 2016's article number 80 of the law regulating building churches. Source: State Information Service Egypt